Island



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. W. MILLER-;

MACHINE FOR PRESSING CLOTH.

No. 413,260 Patented oct. 22.18.89.

N. PETERS. Phaw-Lhugrapner. wzshingmn, D. C.

(No Model.) 'v 8 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. W. MILLER.

MAGHINE P0P. MESSING CLOTH.

No. 413,260. Patented Oct. 22.v 1889.

(No Model.) 3 sheets-sheet 3.4

G. W. MILLER.

- 'MACHINE FOR PRBSSING GLOTH.- No. 413,260. Patented, out, 22, 1889'.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE w. MILLER, or

wooNsocKET, RHODE ISLAND.

MACHINE r-oRl PREsslNG CLOTH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 413,260, dated October 22, 1889. Application filed August 5, 1887. i Serial No. 246,186. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Woonsocket, Providence county, Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Pressing Cloth, of which the following` is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of clothpresses in which the fabric is pressed between Io a traveling metallic band and a cylinder; and

it consists in the combination,with the pressing cylinder or cylinders and band, of rollers arranged to support the band so as to secure a more extended pressing-surface than here- I 5 tofore, and in certain novel arrangements and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a cloth-pressing machine embodying zo my invention. Fig. 2 is a top view of the same, the pressing-bandbcing removed. Fig.

3 is a side view, enlarged, of the devices for adjusting the movable guide-roller and for maintaining a tension upon the pressing- 2 5 band. Fig. fi is alongitudinal sectional view of a portion of the same. Fig. 5 is a detached view of thebearing for the outer end of one of the adjusting screw-rods. Fig. 6 is a detached view showing the adjustable rollcarrying frames of the cloth-feeding devices.

The side frame-pieces A of the machine are suitably connected and constructed to support the operating parts, hereinafter described.

A2 represents the main driving-shaft, supported in suitable bearin gs on the top of or in the upper part of the frame-pieces, and carrying at one end the fast and loose pulleys B, with which engages the main driving- 4o belt A. Near the end. of shaft A2, opposite the pulleys B, is secured a pinion D, meshing with a gear-Wheel E of considerably larger size, supported on a shaft E', which also carries a smaller pinion F, which in turn drives the large pressing-cylinder Il through gearwheel G.

H is another pressing-cylinder, preferably 0f the same size as and Inounted in line with and close to cylinder H. These cylinders 5o may be both heated or cold, or one heated and the other cold, as the character of the work may require. Round both these cylinders passes a wide smooth metallic pressing-band I, supported and directed in its course by cylinders or rollers K K K K', suitably mounted in the frame outside of the pressing-cylinders-that is, toward the ends of the 1nachinethe roller K being adjustable. Each cylinder and roller is provided at or near each end with a groove to receive a row of lugs fastened at or near each edge and upon each side of the pressing-band I,which, engaging one side with the grooves in the cylinders and the other with the grooves in the rollers, guide the band in its course and prevent its running oif. The course of the belt and the direction of its movement are indicated in Fig. l by arrows. It passes from the upper left-hand roller K above the frame to the roller K', around which it passes, going thence upward over the cylinder H', encircling it in direct VContact for nearly seveneiguths of its entire circumference, then passing to and around lower rollers K to the cylinder ll, around which it passes in a direction opposite to thatfollowed in passing around cylinder Il', and thence again to upper roller K. It will be seen that the band I entirely encircles each cylinder except asmall portion of the face or side of each opposite to the other cylinder, which portions are left eX- posed to permit the passage of the cloth to or from the cylinders, whereby a much more eX- tended pressing-surface with a given size of cylinder is obtained than has heretofore been attainable.

Great economy of space is secured by the construction shown, as the two large pressing-cylinders may be mounted with theirperiplieries almost in Contact, while the` bandrollers are also mounted close to the pressing-cylinders. The band I is maintained under tension by means ofthe adjustable' roller K', which is-.supported in sliding boxes S, movable in ways provided therefor in the r frame. Each box is provided with a taper sleeve of, extending rearward and threaded near its end to receive the forward screwthreaded ends of rods q. supported at their outer or rear ends in swivel or pivoted bearings l, carried by the upper ends of vertical levers t, pivoted at t to the frame of the machine. These levers are connected by links a with bell-crank le- These rods are IOO O vers n, upon which are adjustably supported the weights w. Rods q extend through openings 2, of somewhat greater diameter than the rods, formed in the 'upper ends of the levers t, the main portions or bearings 1 being arranged therein.

3 8 are trunnions carried by bearings l and upon which they rock, the bearings for these trunnions being one-half in the upper ends of levers t and half in cap-pieces 4 secured thereto. Fast upon each rod q is a collar q', against which the end of bearing l abuts, and q2 is a collar fastened and held in position by a steel Vpin upon the rod and bearing against the opposite end of the bearing l, and serving to prevent the screw-rod from being withdrawn from lever t.

n is a shaft extending across the machine and lprovided at one end with a hand-wheel n4, by which it may be easily operated. 0 0 are worms secured to this shaft and engaging with worm -wheels p to turn rods q. One of these wheels is keyed fast to its rod q,- .while the other is loose thereon and is provided with a clutch portion p, whereby it may be united to its shaft by sliding clutch member y into engagement therewith. It will now be seen that the weights operate through bell-crank levers In, links u, levers t, bearings 1, collars q', shafts q, sliding boxes s, and roller K to keep the band I under tension, the amount of which may be varied by sliding the weights on their supportinglevers.

Should the band I be loose, as when first applied, the shaft n, by means of the handwheel n4, is turned, drawing the roller K backward until the levers Q) begin to rise, when further backward movement of the roller will cease, and, further rotation of the shafts continuing, the levers t will swing top forward and bottom backward, this being permitted by 'the pivoted bearings l.

By reason of one of the worm-wheels p being loose on shaft ln and connected thereto by a clutch I am enabled to move one box s independently of the other, and can thus maintain proper tension on the belt throughout all its parts.

A spring and operative intermediate devices might be substituted for the weighted lever', as will be readily understood.

It will be seen that by this last-described mechanism av very delicate degree of adjustment may be secured, and that the tension upon the band may be varied at any time without necessitating the stopping of the machine.

Any desired mechanism for feeding the cloth to the pressing-cylinders and forbrushing and dampening or steaming the same may be employed, and I do not wish to be limited to the exact construction of apparatus shown.

In the mechanism which I have shown and which I employ the cloth is fed to the machine from a roll or pile ce, passing in its course about rollers l) and c to the lower regulating-roller d, thence past brush m, regulator-shaft e, brush m', to the upper regulator-roller f, whence it passes over roller 71 past or over the steam-box. i, where it may be dampened, around roller 7c to the stretcher Z, which I have shown to be of roller form, and thence onto belt I, between which and the pressing-roller H it passes. The two regulating-rollers d and f, by which the direction of the cloth and its more or less extended contact with the brushes are regulated, are supported, respectively,in arms d and f carried by the shaft e, to which is secured the operating-handle e. By moving the handle the oppoposit-e faces of the cloth are simultaneously brought into contact with or removed from the brushes m m. The arms el and f are, hown ever, separately adjustable upon shaftcby set screws or equivalent means, as seen in Fig. 6, so that one face of the fabric may be brushed more or less than the other face, as the nature of the work may require. These parts just described are driven from the main driving-shaft by a belt L, passing around a pulley thereon, and thence around an idler-pulley M2 atthe front end of the machine,whence it passes over brushpulleys M M back to its driving-pulley. The cloth, after passing be tween the band and cylinder H, is pressed throughout nearly the whole circumference thereof, and should that amount of pressing be found sufficient it may be wound upon a beam at the head end of the machine, as in* dicated in dotted lines; but should a further pressing be found desirable thecloth follows the band I around rollers K and K to the pressing-cylinder H', between which and the band it passes in a direction the reverse of that followed in passing around cylinder H. After being pressed by the second cylinder it is wound or folded by any desired form of mech-v anism. In that which I have shown vthe cloth may pass from cylinder II over the lower roller K, past the roller Q to the windingroller R, between which and the roller Q the cloth passes; or when it is desired to fold the cloth it passes between. the rollers Q, and R, thence upward to the shaft or roller c', across to the shaft or roller zu', and down between the rollers Z, carried in the lower end of the folder-arms Y, by which the cloth is perfectly laid in a pile z. These delivery devices are driven by a belt O from a pulley N on shaft E, which belt-passes around a pulley on the shaft of roller Q. This shaft carries another pulley S, connected by belt T with a pulley U, on the shaft of which is secured a pinion V, meshing with` a crank-wheel IV, which in turn is connected with and operates the folder-aims Y through the pitman X. X is another belt passing around pulley U and pulleys V and W on the shafts of rollers t" and w', which are driven thereby. Y is still another belt, receivin g power from double pulley W and driving the rollers Z at the lower ends of the folding-arms.

From the fact that the two cylinders I-I and ICO IIO

Il' revolve in opposite directions two pieces of cloth may be pressed at the same time, one piece passing around each cylinder by slight changes, which will readily suggest themselves to -any one skilled in the art. For instance, a holder for a rod or roll of cloth to be pressed (indicated in dotted lines)` may be arranged in proximity to the roller H' and in such relation to the uncovered face thereof that the clothv may pass between the band and the cylinder around nearly the entire circumference thereof and out over the pulley K to the folding mechanism.

It will be seen from the foregoing description and an examination of the drawings that the machine which I have' invented is exceedingly compact in arrangement and is so arranged that the pressing action is contin-V ued around nearly the entire circumference of the pressing cylinder or cylinders.

As hereinbefore intimated, certain of the parts shown may be lvaried or others substituted therefor without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Therefore, without limiting myself to the exact construction shown, I claiml. In a cloth-pressing machine, the combinat-ion of the supporting-frame A' A', two pressing-cylinders arranged side by side, guide-rollers arranged at the ends of the machine outside of the said cylinders, continuous pressing-band supported by said rollers to encircle the cylinders except opposite the ends of the machine, a cloth-feed at one end of the machine opposite the uncovered part of one of the cylinders, and a cloth-receiver opposite the uncovered space of the other cylinder, substantially as described.

2. In a cloth-pressing machine, the combination of two pressing-cylinders arranged side by side, two guide-rollers arranged one above the other at the side of each cylinder and at the ends of the machine, one roller being adjustable, a continuous pressing-band supported by said rollers to encircle the cylinders except opposite the space between the adjacent guide-rollers, and means for adjust- 4. In a cloth-pressing machine, the combi- Y' nation of a cylinder, an endless pressingband, the guide-rollers supporting the band in a position partially encircling the cylinder, the adjustable bearings in which one of the rollers is mounted, the yielding pressure device to maintain the band underf teny `nation of a cylinder, an endless pressingband, guide-rollers K K K K, supporting the band, sliding bearings in which roller K is mounted, screws q, connected with the sliding bearings, a transverse shaft n, and gear-connections whereby said screws q may be simultaneously rotated, and yielding pressurelevers bearing against said screws to maintain tension on the band, substantially as described.

6. In a cloth-pressing machine, the combination of a cylinder, an endless pressingband, guide-rollers supporting the band in a position partially encircling the cylinder, sliding bearings in which ,one of said rollers is mounted, screw-rods connected with the sliding bearings, a transverse shaft mand gears between said screw-rods and shaft, one

such gear being fast to one screw-rod and the l other loose on the other screw-rod, and a clutch member y, substantially as described. y 7. In a cloth-pressing machine, the combination of a cylinder, an endless pressingband, guide-rollers supporting the band in a position partially encircling the cylinder, sliding bearings in which one of the rollers is mounted, rods q, connected with said bearings and extending rearward therefrom, levers through which pressure is applied to said rods, and pivoted adj listing-bearings for said rods carried by the levers, substantially as described.

8. The combination of the regulator-shaft c, a handle for moving the same, two regulator-roll frames separately adjustable on said shaft and extending in different directions therefrom, and means for retaining said frames in their adjusted positions, 'substan' tially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this speciiication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE w. MILLER.'

Witnesses:

A. J. PORTNER, E. CHAs. FRANCIS.

IOO

ITO 

